NASA laboratory telerobotic manipulator control system architecture

Abstract

Abstract In support of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) goals to increase the utilization of dexterous robotic systems in space, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has developed the Laboratory Telerobotic Manipulator (LTM) system. It is a dexterous, dual‐arm, force‐reflecting teleoperator system with robotic features for NASA ground‐based research. This article describes the overall control system architecture, including both hardware and software. The control system is a distributed, modular, and hierarchical design with flexible expansion capabilities for future enhancements of both hardware and software.